Canton hosting delegation from Akko, Israel

The Canton Jewish Community Federation and city officials hosted a visit Tuesday with a delegation from Akko, Israel. Topics discussed included economic development, security and community issues. City officials would like Canton to become a sister city with Akko.

Quick emergency response times. Homicides are rare. And 50 surveillance cameras are posted in public areas and constantly monitored.

That’s how the city of Akko, Israel, was described to Canton officials and members of the Police Department at a presentation on Tuesday about security.

A delegation of several officials from Israel, including Shimon Lankri, Akko’s mayor, met with local officials to discuss economic development, security, community issues and other topics of mutual interest.

Akko, a city of about 54,000 in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel, features beaches and attracts tourists.

The security presentation was headed by Ben Mayost, CEO of economic development in Akko.

Thomas Ream, the city of Canton’s safety director, said the presentation was a good first step in relations between Canton and Akko officials. Information and ideas can be exchanged with Akko on ways to “tackle (safety) problems,” he said.

The city would like to become a sister city with Akko, said Robert Torres, the city’s development director.

Mayost said “the main conclusion ... is to cooperate with the community” and point to successes in combating crime.

The Canton Jewish Community Federation, part of the Partnership with Israel program, has worked with Akko since 2000 in economic development, health care, community issues, the arts and education, said John Strauss, a volunteer and chairman of Partnership with Israel in Canton.

The delegation also toured The Community Campus at Goodwill in Canton. It also made community and economic development presentations to local officials as well as to representatives of local businesses and community-based organizations.

AKKO SECURITY

Police protection is a centralized service provided by the national level of the government, Mayost said. The city of Akko, about 12,000 square kilometers, does not control the police, he said.

Akko has 25 inspectors, one assigned to each neighborhood, who do not have arrest powers but patrol the streets, respond to emergencies and detain suspected criminals for Israeli police, Mayost said.

It takes inspectors an average of one minute and 40 seconds to respond to an emergency and arrive on the scene, he said.

Even though Mayost specializes in economic development, he said he is knowledgeable of security and education issues so he can market Akko to investors.

While one homicide was reported in Akko last year, Mayost said, the more minor crimes, including thefts, are what have “disturbed the quality of life.” Security efforts have reduced those crimes, he said.

Terrorism is a national concern in Israel, but not a local issue, Mayost said.

2008 RIOTS

In October 2008, violence erupted in Akko, where 72 percent of the population is Jewish and 28 percent is Arab. The outbreak occurred after an Arab motorist entered a predominantly Jewish neighborhood on Yom Kippur, according to the Israel News Agency.

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A riot ensued involving hundreds of Jews and Israel Arabs. Dozens of cars and shops were damaged. Hundreds of police responded. Injuries were reported.

Following the presentation, Mayost said “the riots are not connected to the situation of safety in Akko.” The violence was an isolated event, he said, and nothing like that has occurred since.